As far as action-adventure survival video games go, ARK: Survival Evolved has everything that you need to have a pleasurable experience. Though fun and immersive, ARK: Survival Evolved has a steep learning curve that can baffle even the most experienced players. As such, if you are looking to progress, you will need all the help you can find. To help you out, here are some tips to help you prosper in ARK: Survival Evolved:

Focus on your survival
When playing ARK: Survival Evolved, your only focus should be on your own survival. The setting has been designed to make it challenging for you to do so on an island that is occupied by dangerous creatures such as dinosaurs and starving lizards. There will also be plenty of hostile humans to deal with so you must use everything in your disposal to survive.
Build your defences
If you have never played ARK: Survival Evolved, then you might have a difficult time progressing and figuring out what to do with your characters. As you learn, try and focus your attention on building your defences for your base. Not only will this allow you to get acquainted with the game, but it will also preoccupy you and strengthen you for the challenges that are yet to come your way.
Dying is not always a bad thing
When you are just starting out, you should expect to die a lot. Rather than get frustrated and give up on the game entirely, just go with the flow. Each time that you re-spawn, you can make the experience easier by collecting all the belongings off your dead body. Like with other games, Ark saves your inventory after you die, which means that you can grab any useful items once you revive yourself. Please note that once you die, your body will start to decompose fairly quickly. Additionally, if you die in a location that is occupied by predators, they may still be around to pose a threat when you respawn.

Smaller creatures are less of a threat
Although you should keep your eye out for all manner of creatures, you will find that the smaller ones are a little easier to deal with. There are some that will not fight back regardless of whether you attack them. As such, you should concentrate on hunting them especially during the first stages of the game. If you are an inexperienced player, hunting these creatures will allow you to practice at no risk so that you can then move on to the larger threats such as the Parasaurs.